The Fed's rate-setting stance skewed hawkish, pressuring US equities. The Dow fell 0.97%, the S&P 500 dropped 1.2% and the Nasdaq slid 1.3%. SpaceX (SPCX.O) -5%, NVIDIA (NVDA.O) -1%, Western Digital (WDC.O) +4%. The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index fell 1.1%; Li Auto (LI.O) -3%.

German Foreign Minister WADEPHUL said Poland and Germany must pursue extremely close cooperation on defense and security in the face of the threat from Russia.

China Vice President Han Zheng met former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in Beijing on June 17. Han said May’s Xi–Trump meeting established a new positioning of constructive strategic stability and provided strategic guidance for the next phase of China–U.S. relations, urging both sides to act on the leaders’ consensus by deepening economic and trade cooperation and expanding people-to-people and local exchanges. Chao described the summit as significant, said stable U.S.–China relations serve mutual interests, and pledged to continue promoting pragmatic cooperation and civilian exchanges.